Bhubaneswar: Amid a continuing sultry spell and heatwave forecast fro Odisha, the state government on Wednesday directed the suspension of census enumeration activities between 11 am and 3 pm.
This measure, part of broader heatwave preparedness efforts, aims to minimise health risks for enumerators engaged in door-to-door house-listing duties under extreme temperatures.
The decision was taken by the Revenue and Disaster Management Department following a high-level review meeting chaired by Revenue Minister Suresh Pujari with Census Director and the Additional Chief Secretary. A formal letter has been issued to all district collectors, instructing immediate implementation of the revised schedule
Pujari also urged citizens to provide complete, accurate, and truthful information to enumerators, whom he also advised to take necessary precaution against heatwave. “Collectors of the respective districts have been tasked to ensure their safety,” he added.
The Houselisting and Housing Census began on April 16 and is scheduled to continue until May 15. Enumerators are visiting households across the state to collect data on housing conditions, household amenities, and assets possessed by families.
Schoolteachers, who form a significant part of the workforce for the ongoing Census-2027 house-listing
exercise, have been struggling to balance classroom responsibilities with fieldwork often extending into peak heat hours. Tragically, a 55-year-old junior teacher, Bansidhar Bhoi from Sunapali Primary School in Sonepur district’s Ulunda block, died on Sunday after allegedly suffering a heatstroke while on census duty. He reportedly fell ill after returning home from enumeration work and passed away at a local hospital. His family has attributed the death to prolonged exposure to the severe heat. Similarly, a teacher was rescued from Balasore railway station on Tuesday after she went missing from Baripada allegedly due to stress associated with the census work.
Teacher associations, such as the Odisha Secondary School Teachers’ Association (OSSTA), had demanded uniform guidelines from the government and district collectors to mitigate risks, alongside better safety provisions during fieldwork amid reports of harassment in some areas.
On April 21, Additional Chief Secretary Arabinda Kumar Padhee asked all Collectors-cum-Principal Census Officers and Municipal Commissioners-cum-Principal Census Officers to make necessary arrangements to address heat-related issues, identify potential dangers during field work, and regularly track enumerators.
The notification also highlighted several incidents, involving the enumerators, reported in the media in recent days. “You are requested to make necessary arrangements to address heat-related issues, identify danger aspects during collection of data for Census and track the enumerators on a regular basis for their safety and smooth data collection,” the letter stated.
It also directed that all enumerators be properly sensitised on safety precautions.